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It's that time of year again - and as usual I treat myself throughout the year to things I want for my kitchen - so it's hard for anyone to buy me something for the kitchen that I don't already have.

During the year I got a couple of new pressure cookers for myself - and I think it was this year that the chamber vac came to live with us. Oh yeah - and the new LG fridge with the little blast chiller arrived last week.

I opened my one present this am - a nice new unoxidized bottle of St Germaine from Anna N. Going to enjoy that one!

There was one package that was large & heavy enough to definitely be a set of large, expensive books. It was from a person thoughtful enough I thought it may be MC at home, but discovered (to my great delight) it was actually the entire 'Calvin and Hobbes' collection. Yay me! My absolute favorite comic in the history of man, and certain to cause me many many less profanity-inciting moments of frustration than I'm sure MC would have...

I've got to go, some serious reading to do...

PastaMeshugana"The roar of the greasepaint, the smell of the crowd.""What's hunger got to do with anything?" - My FatherMy eG Food Blog (2011)

I received a gift basket of cheeses from Artisanal Premium Cheese - a vendor that had escaped my notice before this. (I'm a huge fan of IGourmet)
This one includes Langres, Comté, Chaource, Piper's Pyramid and Ashley.

Otherwise I got gift cards...

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry PratchettMy blog:Books,Cooks,Gadgets&Gardening

A very nice Wusthof chef's knife (chosen by my twin, so it perfectly fits my teensy hands). This was much-needed, since DH broke about 2 inches off the end of my previous favorite knife.
A couple of ceramic non-stick skillets.
THREE fish turners! (One from DH, one from sis and one from DD. I guess I hinted that I wanted one?)
Oh, and I'm looking forward to watching Top Chef tonight on the new big-ass TV! :-)

A check from my F-I-L. Have just started to think about what I might do with it. After 34 years of marriage and the both of us loving to cook the kitchen (admitedly almost always a bit messy) is pretty well outfitted. Have no fear, I will surely find something new to add. Ah yes, I need a new digital thermometer with the separate probe for roasting things in the oven. That will use up part of the money.

Porthos Potwatcher
The Unrelenting Carnivore
"If every pork chop was perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs." (source unknown)
Customer to clerk in a clothing store, "Do you have these in a size for people who actually eat?"

An AeroPress, a portable induction stove (single 'burner') and a hardware store voucher, with which I purchased a Dremel. A power tool, yeah, that I'll be using in my ghetto engineering projects: an improved sous vide rig and a cold smoker. I guess you could also count another. Treated myself to this: http://www.redspoonc...ation-pack.html

My additions are pretty humble but I'm happy with them. I bought the 600 grit stone (fine) for my Edge Pro Apex. I also am getting a Polder brand digital thermometer. It seems to be better reviewed than Taylor and I've had 2 Taylors just did not last that long.

Side Note: If you've never sharpened your own knives and have been thinking about starting to do it I can't recommend the Edge Pro Apex highly enough.

Porthos Potwatcher
The Unrelenting Carnivore
"If every pork chop was perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs." (source unknown)
Customer to clerk in a clothing store, "Do you have these in a size for people who actually eat?"

Got another gift basket of cheeses - this one from iGourmet, from an unexpected quarter - someone for whom I did a favor several months ago and which I had completely forgotten.
I won't have to buy any cheese for awhile...

Also today was gifted with a slab of home-cured bacon from an ex-neighbor to whom I gave my big smoker/barbecue a couple of years ago when they moved to a little ranch. Home grown hog he says is a "Glouster odd spot" (?sp).

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry PratchettMy blog:Books,Cooks,Gadgets&Gardening